Anything for an A
by Lady Karai
Summary: Roxis's mana said he'd help him with his homework, for a price. Seriously, Vayne, I'd run if I were you. Rated for very mild boyxboy.


Disclaimer: Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis is not mine. 'Nuff said.

A/N: This is a just a little idea that's been bouncing around in my head for a while and wanted to get out. I'm quite surprised no one has done it yet. Guess I get to be the first.

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**Anything for an A**

Vayne knew the moment he walked into the workshop that something was wrong. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary -- there was Jess at the cauldron mixing up a synthesis, Anna with her feather duster cleaning the bookshelves, Roxis at a table studying, Flay and Nikki standing together and chatting, and Pamela floating around and looking bored. Yet something felt off as he looked around, something instinctive that crept up his arms and buried itself at the back of his neck. He had a terrible urge to turn around and go back to the library from whence he had come.

Nikki noticed him first. As soon as her bright eyes fell on him, she had broken away from Flay, leaving the older boy in mid-sentence, and run across the room to skid to a stop in front of him.

"Vayne!" she said breathlessly. "You're here!"

"Uh, yes," Vayne stammered, confused by the intensity of her stare, "I am."

"Well, you might want to leave again," the cat-girl told him. "Something's up with Roxis."

"With Roxis?" Vayne looked over at the blond boy in curiosity. Upon further inspection, he noticed that Roxis was in fact not studying. There was a book open in front of him, but he was not looking at it. Instead, his head was bowed, his eyes closed, and his hands held in tight fists upon the table.

"What's wrong?" Vayne asked.

Jess had walked over to join them, and now she answered, "He was trying to do a difficult synthesis, but it wasn't working right. His mana said he'd help him, but at a price."

"And you know what that means," Nikki interjected. Her tail was twitching back and forth like mad in her worry. "Seriously, Vayne, I'd run if I were you."

Relieved, Vayne sighed a little and relaxed his shoulders which had become tense. "Is that all?" he asked with one of his little half-smiles. "I'm sure whatever his mana wants him to do, it's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, but Vayne," Jess said, "whatever it is, it'll involve you."

"I know," he replied calmly. "But I still think there's no reason to worry. It's probably another handshake, or maybe we'll have to work together or something."

"I guess," Nikki said, scratching her cheek with one fingernail. "But he's been over there thinking about it for over an hour now."

"It took him an hour to agree to shake Vayne's hand," Jess reminded her, apparently now on his side. "He's right. It's probably nothing."

"Oka-ay," Nikki sang, "but don't say I didn't warn you." She skipped back over to Flay to continue their conversation. Shaking her head a little, Jess returned to her synthesis, leaving Vayne alone by the door.

With the girls gone, Vayne took a moment to look at the other boy once more. Roxis's face held its usual scowl, but his shoulders were terribly tense, and his fisted hands appeared to be shaking slightly. As Vayne watched him, he finally lifted his head and acknowledged the white-haired boy's presence. The power of those cold eyes took his breath away. They glittered and shone in a way that had nothing to do with the light hitting the boy's glasses.

A warm softness caressed Vayne's ankles as Sulpher walked around him once to sit next to his right foot. "_Meow_," said the cat, which translated to, "He seems more disturbed than usual. Perhaps you should take the girl's advice."

"Um, yeah," Vayne agreed, but his feet refused to move. Roxis's intense, angry gaze kept him pinned in place. Something about that look was making him feel uneasy, but he couldn't seem to find the willpower to break the connection that had formed between them, as hostile as it might have been.

With a waterfall of light and a very familiar whooshing noise, the Mana of Light shimmered into existence at Roxis's side. If a wolf-creature could smile, the mana was certainly doing so. "Master," he said, "have you made your decision? My offer will not stand much longer."

The ultimatum had been given, and Roxis reacted accordingly. "Dammit!" he hissed, pounding his fists on the table. His chair clattered sideways to the floor as he shot from his seat and crossed the room with rapid strides to stand in front of Vayne.

Vayne, for his part, did his best not to cower. Whatever the mana had asked of the blond boy, it was clearly more than a handshake. He could see that from the fury in Roxis's face and the self-satisfied way that the mana watched them, seeming to suppress laughter as he waited.

"Vayne," Roxis said, his words dropping like stones into the silence that had taken over the workshop. "You know I hate you."

"Yes, I know," the other boy replied. "But I don't --"

The rest of his sentence never passed his lips. Mainly because there were other lips on his lips. Roxis's to be exact. In one swift movement, the blond boy had closed the distance between them, grabbed Vayne's face in his hands, and kissed him hard on the mouth.

The girls all screamed. Some part of Vayne's brain that had not been stunned into a non-functioning existence noted that Jess sounded horrified, Nikki simply surprised, Anna outraged, and Pamela delighted. Flay had also cried out, although he would probably stab anyone who dared to call it a scream, and now the older boy was babbling nonsense in his extreme shock. Vayne might have joined him if he weren't currently being kissed by his rival.

Somewhere beneath his feet, a small "_Mrow_" declared, "Humans are so very strange."

The moment ended abruptly as Roxis pulled away and whirled on his mana. "There!" he shouted. "Was that enough for you? Are you happy now?"

"Yes, master," the mana purred. "That was quite enough. I am ready to help you with your homework now."

"Good," Roxis bit, and he stalked over to the cauldron, pushing Jess out of the way. The pink-haired girl rushed to Vayne who had fallen over onto the floor the moment that Roxis had released him.

"Well," Nikki commented, seconds before the workshop erupted into utter chaos. "It looks like Roxis really will do anything to get an A."

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End file.
